Naturaleza Oculta
We are pleased to announce the opening of Naturaleza Oculta (Hidden Nature), Beatriz Eugenia Díaz’s first solo show at Casas Riegner.
Naturaleza Oculta is rooted in the artist’s deeply entrenched Bogotá heritage, which refuses to disappear while taking hold of her time and time again; in the roots of plants which, despite being hidden, function as their brain and are the key to their secrets; and in the idea that in order to understand a person’s head one must unearth it. In the process of removing excess “dirt”, one might find the reason why a person “looses their head”.
Two sound pieces, a series of drawings and an installation comprised of tree roots are meticulously installed on an imaginary path leading into an invisible entrance gate demarcated by two defoliated tree trunks. As the spectator begins his journey across the exhibition, he/she is enveloped by the artist’s voice which softly invokes calyptra;1 this mesmerizing chant acts as a reminder for spectators to protect their heads. Likewise Díaz subtly warns about the dangers of repetitive thoughts that constrict and rot people just like the tree that grows confined in a small pot.
Beatriz Eugenia Díaz’ work merges the worlds of music and art; her pieces seek to sharpen the bodily perception of the spectator in relation to the architectural space and void. With a career spanning more than thirty years, Díaz’ work has been exhibited in venues such as Fundación Gilberto Alzate Avendaño (Bogotá, 2016); Museo de Arte del Banco de la República (Bogotá, 2016); Espacio Odeón (Bogotá, 2013); Museo de Arte Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá, 2006); and the 40 Salón Nacional de Artistas (Bogotá, 2006).
Beatriz Eugenia Díaz (Bogotá, 1965) holds Bachelor Degree in Art and Music from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá. She currently works as a Teaching Professor at Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano and Los Andes. Her most recent exhibitions include: Muerte Barroca. Retratos de monjas coronadas, Museo de Arte del Banco de la República, Bogotá, 2016; El fin de la excepción humana, Fundación Gilberto Alzate Avendaño, Bogotá, 2016; "Why Abstract Art?" (¿Por qué el arte abstracto?), Casas Riegner, Bogotá, 2015; Textos audibles, legibles y visibles, Galería Santa Fe, Bogotá, 2014; 47, Galería Las Edades, Bogotá, 2013; Sonósferas: el sonido en las prácticas artísticas contemporáneas, Fundación Teatro Odeón, Bogotá, 2013; Ninguna forma de vida es inevitable, FLORA Ars + Natura, Bogotá, 2013; Al Claro de Luna, reminiscencias sonoras, Galería Santa Fe, Bogotá, 2013; and Polaris, IV Premio Luis Caballero, Galería Santa Fe, Planetario de Bogotá, 2007.
1 Calyptra is the name of the layer that covers the tip of the root and is also used to describe the veils employed by monks to cover while celebrating the holy mysteries.
